1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to cleats on the soles of bicycling shoes that snap on and make a connection to the bicycle pedals. More specifically, the invention relates to an improved cleat and pedal for bicyclists.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Rat trap bicycle pedals require; toe clips, toe straps and a thin cleat with a narrow slit mounted to the sole of the bicycle shoes. The cyclist must enter the toe clip with his/her shoe and pull the toe strap tight. Removal is done by reaching down and releasing the toe strap. Strapless and clipless systems are available, such as the Look pedal system (trademark of Descente America, Inc., 601 Madison Ave., New York, N.Y. 10022). This system consists of a pedal with a hoop and a spring loaded catch. The sole of the cyclists shoe has a cleat with a lip on the front and the back. To enter the cyclist must hook the front lip of the cleat on the hoop of the pedal and step down, causing the spring loaded catch to lock on the rear lip. Removal is done by a turn table twist of the foot. The CycleBinding system (trademark of Howell CycleBinding, Box 386, Winooski, Vt. 05404) and the Adidas System 3 (trademark of Bianchi USA, 385 Oyster Point Blvd., South San Francisco, Calif. 94080), both require special cycling shoes as well as special pedals. The shoe of the CycleBinding system has a cavity in the sole and the pedal has a cylinder with spring loaded pins that lock into the cavity. To enter the cyclist steps down on the pedal, to exit, a turn table twist of the foot. The Adidas shoe has a channel on each edge of the sole and a ridge on each edge of the pedal. To enter, the cyclist slides the shoe onto the pedal, to remove the shoe from the pedal the cyclist must release a lever on the pedal. The Keywin Speed Pedal (trademark of VeltecBoyer sports, Inc., 1793 Catalina, Sand City, Calif. 93955) is a pedal cleat system which consists of a plastic cleat and a plastic pedal with two opposing hooks and a central locating pin. To enter the cyclist flips up the pedal and places the shoe over the pedal in a pigeon-toed position while aligning with the central locating pin. The cleat is then locked by stepping down and twisting. Release is done by a twist of the foot to the outside. The Pedalmaster (trademark of Bicycle Parts Pacific, P.O. Box 640, Santee, Calif. 92071) is a collection of hardware and bolts that connect to a conventional rat trap pedal. To enter the cyclist pushes the pedal over with the shoe and slips the cleat onto the toe plate's tongue, then swings the heel in toward the bike. Release is done by swinging the foot outward and pulling back.
The Aerolite system (trademark of Aerolite, 1343 W. 18th St., Merced, Calif. 95340) is a strapless cleat system that consists of a plastic slotted cleat and a cylindrical pedal as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. To enter, one must step down on the pedal. It is claimed in the Mar. 1986 issue of Bicycle Guide that 100 pounds of force is required to snap the semi-circular slot of the molded plastic cleat on the pedal. Exiting is done by rolling ones' foot to the side. The Aerolite system does not provide a method to adjust the insertion and release force of the cleat to the pedal. If the cleat and the pedal are not properly aligned when stepping down, the cleat could engage on the end of the pedal. This could cause the connection to come apart suddenly. The Aerolite cleat has two surfaces on each side of the slot that roll the pedal away from the channel when trying to enter the cleat.
It would be desirable to have a cleat and pedal arrangement that is adjustable and fits itself to the pedal shaft, with a means for guiding the cleat onto the round shaft.